DNA & CRIME VICTIMS: WHAT VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROFESSIONALS NEED TO KNOW
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DNA & CRIME VICTIMS:
WHAT VICTIM ASSISTANCE
PROFESSIONALS NEED TO KNOW
What Victim Assistance Professionals Need to Know 1databases managed by the FBI that allows crime laboratory personnel across the
DNA & CRIME VICTIMS: country to compare DNA profiles from known criminal offenders (and arrestees where
applicable) with biological evidence from crime scenes. CODIS has proven crucial to
What Victim Assistance Professionals solving crimes in which the offender’s identity is unknown. CODIS can match crimes
Need to Know to each other, thereby identifying serial offenders.
CODIS can also match DNA profiles of unidentified human remains to DNA
profiles from missing persons or their close family members to attempt to identify the
remains. This section of the database is known as CODIS + mito. The missing persons
s the use of DNA evidence in criminal trials grows, victim advocates and
A
information is indexed in a separate part of the database from the crime information.
other professionals who work with crime victims are increasingly being Each record in CODIS contains information about the lab that entered the profile,
called upon to help victims understand the process of DNA collection and its an identifier for the DNA specimen, and the results of the DNA testing or the DNA
potential impact on their cases. This booklet aims to increase victim service providers’ profile. Other than the DNA profile, CODIS does not contain any other information
understanding of the use of DNA as forensic evidence and its implications for victims that identifies the source of the profile. In other words, the CODIS database does
of crime. The ultimate goal is to make service providers more knowledgeable, not contain names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, or any other personal
comfortable, and confident when supporting victims in cases where DNA evidence is identifier. CODIS, which follows strict rules that protect individual privacy, does not
relevant. contain DNA profiles of crime victims. (See Questions 7-9 for more information on
victim DNA profiles.)
1. What are typical sources of DNA evidence?
DNA evidence is found in biological material. Some of the most common types 4. Who has access to the information in CODIS?
of material in which DNA can be found are blood, saliva, sweat, urine, skin tissue, CODIS is not accessible to the general public or even most criminal justice
and semen. DNA could potentially be found on a victim’s body (including under professionals. Only the database administrator at the government laboratory and staff
fingernails), clothing, cigarette butts, drinking glasses, furniture, weapons, and ropes responsible for entering DNA profiles into CODIS have access to the DNA database at
or any other item used to bind a victim. Anything a perpetrator touches could each level (local, state, and national).
potentially have DNA evidence on it.
5. What exactly is a DNA profile?
2. In what criminal cases is DNA evidence most often introduced at DNA profiles created for criminal justice purposes contain a certain set of identifiers
trial? or characteristics, which are found at specific points—called loci—on the DNA
DNA evidence is most commonly used in cases of sexual assault, child sexual assault molecule. Information from 13 of these loci constitutes a DNA profile, and, much like
or sexual abuse, and homicide. However, it has the potential to be useful in any a fingerprint, the features of DNA profiles can be compared to other DNA profiles for
number of crimes, including home invasions, burglaries, drug offenses, abductions, genetic matches or for exclusions, which eliminate individuals as contributors of DNA
assaults, and stalking cases. found at the crime scene. When the DNA profile is entered into the DNA database, it
appears as a series of numbers and does not include information about physical traits
3. What is CODIS, and what information does it contain? such as race, age, or medical conditions.
The Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, is a system of national, state, and local
1 26. Which offenders are required to contribute samples for the with his or her name and case number. Laboratories have rigid confidentiality rules.
database? Strict federal laws prohibit the disclosure of this information for purposes other than
All 50 states and the federal government require those convicted of sex offenses to law enforcement or prosecution.
submit a biological sample for DNA profiling. Most states require samples from all
convicted felons, and some collect from arrestees (mostly for felonies). The federal 10. Will the victim’s personal items with potential DNA evidence (e.g.,
government also authorizes collection of a DNA sample from anyone arrested on any clothing) be returned? If so, when?
Whether personal items collected during the investigation will be returned depends
federal charge. The general trend across the country is to expand the number and
on several factors. In some cases, the items may be kept indefinitely because state law
types of crimes qualifying for DNA collection, including the collection of DNA samples
may require that evidence used to convict a defendant be available until a specific
from arrestees.
time after the sentence is imposed, completion of the sentence, exoneration, or
7. Why do victims need to provide DNA samples? execution. Conversely, some jurisdictions may require prompt return of a victim’s
Victims and others present at the crime scene may be asked by investigators to items after approval by the prosecutor if they are no longer needed for evidentiary
provide a DNA sample, called a “reference sample.” These samples are used to purposes. In some cases, a photograph of the evidence may be used so that the items
eliminate or include those individuals as contributors of DNA found at the crime may be given back to the victim. Victims should be aware that items that are returned
scene. In sexual assault cases, reference samples will be needed from any individual may have been damaged during the DNA testing process.
the victim had consensual sex within the previous four days.
11. How long after a crime can DNA evidence be collected, and how
8. What happens to the DNA of a victim and other reference samples long after it is collected is it still good for testing?
after they are collected? Do they go into the database? In general, once a body fluid dries to form a stain, the DNA is stable and, thus, can be
The victim’s DNA profile is used only for comparison purposes to distinguish it from analyzed over time. However, due to the adverse impact of various environmental
the DNA profile of the perpetrator. Victims’ DNA profiles and other DNA profiles conditions (mainly heat and humidity), biological material should be collected for
taken for exclusion (such as those from the victim’s consensual sex partner) are NOT use as evidence as soon as possible. In sexual assault cases, it is important to obtain
uploaded into CODIS. evidence samples from the victim as soon as possible after the incident, preferably
There currently is no uniformity regarding what labs do with victim and within 12-24 hours. Federal guidelines for sexual assault nurse examiners state
reference samples after testing. Some government labs do retain victims’ and other that evidence in sexual assault cases should be collected within 72 hours, though
reference samples indefinitely. Many return the sample to the law enforcement some programs are expanding that deadline to 96 hours due to advances in DNA
agency that submitted it for testing, but retain the digitalized DNA profile. In many technology. With appropriate storage, DNA evidence collected properly and in a
instances, the evidence becomes the property of the jurisdiction investigating the timely manner can be analyzed after the passage of any amount of time.
case.
12. What assurance is there that DNA samples are being handled
9. Is a victim’s name attached to his or her DNA during the testing properly throughout the collection, testing, and storage processes,
process? What if a victim is acquainted with people who work in the especially as they are transported from one place to another?
lab—how is his or her privacy protected? Biological evidence is often identified and collected by one person, transported by
Yes, the victim’s name is part of the case file, and the original sample will be labeled someone else, accepted at the storage unit by a different person, and then stored
by yet another. This “chain of custody” begins with the first law enforcement officer
3 DNA & Crime Victims What Victim Assistance Professionals Need to Know 4to have contact with the evidence at a crime scene. Every individual who then has 15. Why can it take so long to analyze the DNA sample? Why are some
physical contact with the evidence must be documented. Individuals responsible cases a higher priority than others? How do I explain to a victim that
for handling evidence receive training on ensuring that the chain of custody is her case is a lower priority than someone else’s?
maintained. Documentation of the chain of custody is crucial to the credibility of the Testing delays are understandably very frustrating for victims. Though explaining
evidence in court. It is, of course, possible for human error to occur at any point in the lab priorities may not alleviate a victim’s frustration and anger, a victim deserves to
chain. know why it is taking so long to test evidence in the case. From a purely practical
perspective, crime labs often operate in a triage fashion because there is continually
13. I am working with a victim who reported a crime, but there has a large amount of evidence waiting to be analyzed and limited lab personnel to
been no effort to collect DNA evidence. Why not? perform the tests. Cases that are going to court receive priority for testing because
DNA evidence may not be available or useful in every case. If a perpetrator takes the results are time sensitive, and a case may be dismissed if the evidence is not ready.
certain precautions, he or she could leave behind little or no trace of biological Cases in which the DNA test is needed to include or exclude a known individual as
material that could include DNA. The crime scene may have been contaminated a suspect in a crime are generally handled next. Cases in which there is no suspect
so that forensic evidence no longer exists or is not usable. In some cases, such as generally receive the lowest priority.
an acquaintance rape where consent is used as a defense, DNA results may not be
helpful for proving guilt. (See Question 2 for criminal cases in which DNA evidence 16. What does it mean if the DNA does not match the suspect? What if
is most often used.) The availability of other evidence in certain cases may make it does?
DNA analysis unnecessary. In some cases, investigators may simply lack training or If DNA from biological material taken from a crime scene matches the DNA profile
resources for DNA collection and testing, although significant efforts have been of a suspect, it shows, with high probability, that the suspect contributed the
made by the federal government in the past few years to provide such training. A biological material at the crime scene. If the DNA does not match the suspect, it
lack of resources for testing should not prohibit DNA collection: financial support for means that the suspect did not leave the biological material that was found at the
analyzing DNA evidence is available through the federal government.1 crime scene. In either case, DNA is only part of the evidence. A lack of DNA match
does not necessarily mean that the suspect is innocent, and a DNA match alone
14. Why does my jurisdiction limit the number of items per case that does not prove that the suspect committed the crime. Most crimes are, in fact,
can be sent for DNA testing? prosecuted without DNA evidence, and even when there is a DNA match, other
Most jurisdictions face a substantial backlog of forensic DNA evidence awaiting evidence is generally needed to prove the case (despite the impression given by
analysis. Some jurisdictions have chosen to respond to this problem by limiting the popular television shows). Besides resulting in a match or exclusion, DNA analysis can
number of items that can be submitted for testing because they simply lack resources also yield inconclusive results, for example, if the sample has been contaminated or
to perform numerous tests for each case. Limiting the number of items that can be degraded or if it is insufficient to yield a reportable result.
sent for testing helps to conserve resources and not compound the DNA evidence
backlog. Investigators should be trained sufficiently to prioritize evidence and submit 17. How reliable is DNA testing?
the items that are most likely to contain some type of biological material for DNA DNA testing is considered highly reliable in identifying individuals. Although more
testing. than 99 percent of DNA is the same in all people, there is sufficient variation in the
remaining 1 percent to permit human identification. Indeed, scientists use much less
than 1 percent of a person’s DNA (approximately one ten-thousandth of 1 percent)
1 For more information, see www.dna.gov.
5 DNA & Crime Victims What Victim Assistance Professionals Need to Know 6to create a DNA profile. They look for matches based on small repeating units of DNA 20. What are the implications of taking DNA from all arrestees? Why is
sequences at a number of different locations on the person’s genome (all genetic this controversial?
information of an organism). When a certain number of these sequences match, the Opponents of collecting DNA from all arrestees argue that taking DNA from those
results can supply proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the person is the source of not yet convicted of a crime violates their civil liberties. They also argue that certain
the biological material. The probability that another person selected at random from groups of people may be wrongly arrested and, thus, wrongly included in the DNA
the general population has the same DNA profile is extremely low. Identical twins database. These might include victims of domestic violence wrongly arrested for
share the same DNA, so their DNA profiles would match perfectly. violence committed in self-defense. Others argue that such collection will exacerbate
DNA backlogs because of the huge number of samples to be tested. States are
18. How much does DNA testing cost, and who pays for it? already struggling to keep up with the increase in testing that has resulted from laws
The cost of DNA testing varies widely depending on a number of factors. A rough requiring collection from all convicted felons.
estimate for a rape case that includes one victim and one unknown suspect is $1,000. Proponents of collecting DNA from all arrestees argue that the process is
Cases with a number of suspects and numerous items to be tested require more similar to fingerprinting, which is already routinely done for all arrestees. Proponents
labor and more chemicals for testing, thus increasing the costs. The entity responsible also point to data showing that most individuals who commit crimes are repeat
for paying for the tests varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In some places, a law offenders, and while they may be arrested for the crime, many avoid conviction. From
enforcement agency or prosecutor’s office pays for DNA testing. In some jurisdictions, a crime prevention perspective, stopping repeat offenders will save countless victims
special funds have been created to pay for DNA testing. Forensic examinations and families much suffering. A Chicago area study documented 22 murders and 30
for the collection of DNA evidence can often be paid for through a state’s victim rapes that could have been prevented had the perpetrator’s DNA been taken at a
compensation fund. previous arrest.2 Virginia, one of the first states to start collecting DNA profiles from
arrestees and uploading these profiles into CODIS, has solved 288 crimes (59 sex
19. What is the difference between mitochondrial DNA and “regular” crimes) through links to arrestees.
or nuclear DNA? When is each kind used in testing?
Nuclear DNA is located in the cell nucleus. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is found in 21. How are decisions made about which cases merit post-conviction
the cell’s mitochondria. Both are used in DNA testing. Mitochondrial DNA is inherited testing, and how is the victim informed of that process?
only from the mother; thus, siblings with the same mother share the same mtDNA. In some cases in which a request has been made for post-conviction testing, the
They also share the same mtDNA as their mother’s maternal relatives. Mitochondrial defense counsel and prosecutors may agree that DNA testing is appropriate. In other
DNA is not as powerful in making identifications as nuclear DNA. However, it is less cases, a judge may be asked to decide whether the test should be granted. Requests
susceptible to damage from heat and other environmental conditions and is found for post-conviction testing are considered based on several factors, including
in higher concentrations in older biological materials, such as bones, hair, and teeth, applicable state laws, whether DNA testing was conducted at the time of the trial, the
that no longer contain cell nuclei. For this reason, mitochondrial DNA is advantageous potential evidentiary value of a new DNA test, any other evidence available such as
for identifying human remains. Mitochondrial DNA is being used with increasing eyewitness accounts, and what the original plea in the case was.
regularity in missing persons cases because reference samples can be provided by a
maternal relative of the missing person.
2 Congressional Record—Senate, July 29, 2005, S9528-S9531.
7 DNA & Crime Victims What Victim Assistance Professionals Need to Know 822. How can I support a victim when post-conviction DNA testing government (often to help reduce the DNA backlog) must follow the same quality
exonerates her convicted offender? assurance standards.
When previously convicted offenders are exonerated, victims of those crimes
grapple with a whole host of concerns and emotions. A victim whose identification 24. Is DNA evidence eliminating the need for victim/witness testimony
of the offender was a key piece of evidence that led to conviction may feel a sense and other types of evidence?
No. While DNA evidence is a powerful tool for law enforcement officers and
of guilt and regret. Safety is often a significant concern for victims at this time. A
prosecutors because it can place a suspect at the scene of a crime, eyewitness
victim may fear retaliation by the wrongfully convicted person. Victims may also be
identification, victim input, proof of intent, and other evidence is still crucial to
afraid because they now know that the true perpetrator is still at large. Conversely,
building a case against a suspect.
regardless of the outcome of DNA testing or other evidence, the victim may remain
convinced that the exonerated person was in fact the true perpetrator, and therefore,
feel anger, fear, or outrage at the person’s release.
Victims should be approached with sensitivity about the stress and hardship
the exoneration will undoubtedly place on them and their families. To best meet
individual victims’ needs, each case should be examined by the law enforcement
officer and victim advocate to determine the most appropriate setting for the first
contact. Privacy may be an important factor, especially if the victimization occurred
under circumstances that may now be embarrassing or otherwise uncomfortable to
the victim.
Advocates can assist victims with safety planning and dealing with the
media. Advocates should also prepare victims for the possibility that law enforcement
NATIONAL CRIME VICTIM HELPLINE
and prosecutors may reopen their search for the real offender. If this occurs, it could
mean a victim will be asked to provide a new blood sample and possibly endure a 1-800-FYI-CALL
new trial. It is helpful for victims to receive as much information as possible about the TTY: 1-800-211-7996
process. gethelp@ncvc.org
Monday - Friday
23. What type of quality assurance measures are in place at DNA labs? 8:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. ET
The FBI, which manages CODIS, requires all labs participating in the national database www.ncvc.org
to comply with national DNA quality assurance standards and to be accredited
in order to upload DNA profiles into the system. These standards cover different
factors that affect quality, including training of personnel, the physical environment
in which the tests are done, the equipment used, and the handling of the items
being analyzed. Accreditation is an assessment by an impartial agency that a lab is in
compliance with performance standards. Government labs are required to undergo
periodic accrediting and auditing. Private labs that perform DNA testing for the
9 DNA & Crime Victims What Victim Assistance Professionals Need to Know 10Helping Victims of Crime Rebuild Their Lives
National Center for Victims of Crime
2000 M Street, NW, Suite 480
Washington, DC 20036
p. 202-467-8700
f. 202-467-8701
National Crime Victim Helpline
1-800-FYI-CALL | TTY 1-800-211-7996
This brochure was made possible by an unrestricted educational grant from Applied Biosystems, Inc. Applied Biosystems
03/08, 4M
is committed to providing educational materials that further the understanding of how DNA technology is used to assist
criminal investigations.You can also read
